Locomotive-boiler front-end support



Mar, '13, 1923; A,

A. G. HOLLINGS HEAD LOCOMOTIVE BOILER FRONT E ND SUPPORT Filed Feb, 19, 192i resident of Chicago,

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

ARTHUR o. HOLLINGSHEAD, or CHICAGO, COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE OKADEE A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOCOMOTIVE-BOILER FRONT-END SUPPORT.

Application filed February 19, 1921. Serial No. 446,395.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR G. HOLLINGS- HEAD, a citizen of the United States, and a in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive-Boiler Front-End Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to closure supports and particularly to a support for the type of closure used in boilers of railway locomotives, and commonly termed the front end as it is the plate for forming the forward end of the boiler.

This closure plate for the front end of a boiler is large and extremely heavy and according to approved railway practice is secured to the boiler front end by a great number of stud bolts and nuts circumferentially arranged adjacent the outer edge of the front end plate. To make the joint between the boiler front and the front end plate absolutely tight, the nuts are turned down as closely as possible. l/Vhen it is desired to remove the front end plate to reach the inside of the boiler shell, the nuts are all removed and the front end plate moved away from the boilershell To loosen this front end plate and move it away from the boiler shell is rendered, extremely difficult as there will be a tendency for the front end plates to stick due to the rusting-of the parts and of I the action of the elements, aside-"from the factor of its great weight. 7,

Still another difficulty encountered in the removal of this front end' plate is that'its weight is such that a crane and tackle or the like is found necessary to carry the weight of the plate as soon as it is moved away from its position of support by the boiler. This necessitates that the engine be moved to a spot where such crane and tackle are at hand- The principal objects of this invention are, therefore, to provide an improved arrangement whereby the front end plate can be moved away from the boiler front without the use of the amount of time and effort now require the provision of means whereby force can be manually applied to the front end plate at spaced points adja cent its outer edge and in direction of movement of the closure plate to and from boiler front not only to force th front end plate away from the fr: but to cause the front end plate to the boiler front; the provision of an improved construction by which the end closure plate can be moved away from the boiler front without at the same time moving the front end plate from its position of support by the boiler; the provision of a novel mechanism which will permit the front end plate to be moved first outwardly away from the boiler front and then swung to a side so as to permit free 66 access to the boiler interior Without at the same time withdrawing the end plate from its position of support of the boiler; the provision of means whereby force may be applied alternately atdifi'ere-nt points on 70 the front end plate for the purpose of facilitating the ease with which the front end plate maybe removed; the provision of a I device of the character described whereby the mechanism for moving the front end 76 plate is operable in two stages, in the first of which it has no actuating relationship to the front end plate; together With such further and additional objects as may hereinafter appear.

In attaining the objects referred to, and in gaining such additional benefits and advantages as may hereinafter appear, I have provided a construction one embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure l is a front elevational view of a locomotive front end having my present improvements incorporated therein; the closure being in closed position; I

Figure 2 correctly seat itself on is a side elevational view of the structure of Figure 1, the closure being in open position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan View of the structure of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan View of the same structure showing the position the" parts assume when the closure is in closed" position.

In the drawing, the boiler shell, 10, and the front end closure plate, 11, are held rigidly and tightly together by means of the circular row of stud bolts and nuts 12.

As these parts are all exposed to the ele ments, the front end plate will tend to stick to the stud bolts andv the boiler front, and it is extremely difficult to pry the front end plate loose from the boiler front and handle it without elaborate tackle. Furthermore, when it is pried loose special provision must lie boiler -opening so as be made to support the weight of the front end plate and to move it away from the to be able to reach the boiler interior.

With this in view, l have devised certain novel features of construction now to be described.

Rigidly fixed to the outside surface of the boiler adjacent its front end at spaced apart points are the two bracket supports, 13-13. Each of these brackets is provided with upper and lower spaced ears, 14, 14, extending forwardly from the boiler front for a substantial distance, each being provided with elongated openings, 15, 15 in vertical registration. Passing through these openings, 15, 15 for longitudinal reciprocation therein are the pins, 16, supported from the upper cars, 14, by the head, 17, and retained in position against accidental loss by the cotter pins, 18. To brace these ears, 14, against distortion, each bracket support, 13, is provided with the rib member 19.

The front end plate, 11, is mounted to swing about the pivot pins, 16, as a hinge ing-outwardly beyond the front end plate, 11, and rigidly supported therefrom by the bracket members, 21, 21, each bracket member, 21, being provided with two hinge members 20. These members, 20, engage around the pins, 16, so as to cause the two to move together longitudinally, the pins being guided in such movement by the longitudinally extended slots 15.

By this arrangement I have provided a support for the front end plate from the boiler at two points spaced apart which will permit the front end plate being moved bodily in a right line away from the boiler front, and at the same time will maintain the end plate in a position of support from the boiler.

There is also thus provided an arrangement whereby after the front end plate, 11, has been movedbodily away from the boiler front, 10, and out of engagement with the stud bolts, 12, the front end plate, 11, can be swung bodily out of the path of the opening to the boiler front, to permit of free access to the boiler interior, while at the same time still retaining the end plate, 11, in supported relation to the boiler.

For additionally supporting and guiding the pin, 16, in its longitudinal movement, the bracket supports, 13, are each provided with ears, 22, positioned intermediate the ears, 14, 14 and provided with elongated slots similar to and inregistry with the slots 15, 15 in the upper and lower ears 14, 14.

Loosely mounted upon each of the hinge pins, 16, is the cam, 23, the purpose of which will shortly appear. Extending outwardly from each of the cams, 23, is the operating lever 24 as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4.

portion 25 of the cam 23 will be first brought means of the hinge member, 20, extend Upon viewing and comparing Figures 3 and 4, it will be noticed that each cam, 23, has the portion 25 thereof substantially concentric with its axis of rotation about the pin 16.

As a result of this arrangement when either lever 24 (assuming the device to be closed as in Figures 1 and 4) is moved in any desired manner counter-clockwise from the position shown in Figure4the concentric into contact with the face 26 of the bracket 13 and will be without operative effect until the eccentric portion of the cam 23 is brought into contact with such face 26. Therefore, the initial movement of the lever 24 is not resisted. This initial movement of the lever 24 is effective in permitting the accumulation of a certain amount of momentum which is of decided advantage and helps when the eccentric portion is reached.

As has been pointed out, the hinge construction and its operating mechanism are substantially duplicated at spaced apart points, and this arrangement has been found particularly effective in permitting the front end closure 11 to be pried loose from the boiler front 10 due to application of the force at spaced apart points which is still further enhanced by the ability to apply force at spaced apart points in alternation as well as simultaneously.

Any desired leverage on the cams 23 may be attained by the, application of wrenches or lengthening bars to the levers 24, which may thereby be given a rapid actuation in alternation, whereby the closure 11 may be racked out of engagement with the boiler front end 10 in the event of any tendency to freeze thereto.

As will be seen on viewing Figure 2 each of the upper ears 22 is provided with the depending fiange 22 which forms fixed abutments for the cams 23 on the side of each cam opposite to the face 26 of the bracket 13.

As a result of this arrangement, when the cam lever 23 is moved in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 3 (assuming the door to have first been swung 90) the coaction of the face of the cam 23 with the abutment 22 will cause the closure 11 to be moved bodily into its position of closing the opening shown in Figure 1.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-- 1. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening, means for moving said closure in a direction away from isald opening, including cam 125 means for applying pressure thereto independently at points spaced apart.

2. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening, we

means for moving said closure in a direction away i from said opening, including leve'r means for applying pressure thereto independently at points spaced apart.

3. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening and means for applying pressure thereto independently at spaced apart points for moving said closure in a direction away from said opening and means for holding said pressure applying means against bodily movement relativel to the closure.

4. Ina device of the character described comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening and means for variably applyin pressure to the closure at each of a plura ity of spaced apart points to move the closure in a direction away from the opening, said means being held against bodily movement relatively to the closure.

5. In a device of the character described comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening, and

cam lever means for variably applying pressure to the closure at each of a plurality of spaced apart points to move the closure in a direction away from the opening.

6. In a structure of the character described, in combination, a closure and means for moving said closure, including. a movable cam member and a member moved thereby, the movement of said first member having two stages the first of which is ineffective to move the second member.

7. In a structure of the character de- I scribed, in combination, a closure and means for moving said closure, including a rotatable member held against bodily movement and a second member movable longitudinally upon rotation of said first member,

the first part of, the rotation of said first member being ineflective to move the second member. it

8. In a structure of the class described, in

combination, a closure and means for moving said closure, including two relatively movable members and means for causlng one of sald members to move after a predetermined movement of the other, said other member being held against bodily movement.

9. In a device of the character-described comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening and means. for variably applying pressure to the closure at each of a plurality of spaced apart points to move the closure in a direction away from the opening, said means becam lever means for variably applyin pressure to the closure at each of a plura ity' of spaced apart points to move the closure in a direction away from the opening, said means permitting the pivotal movement ofthe closure.

11. In a device of the-character described, comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening, and means for moving said closure comprising a plurality of independently operable lev ers.

12. A device of the character described, comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening, and means for moving said closure comprising a pluralit of independently operable cams.-

13. A evice of the character described, comprising, 1n combination, a boiler havlng an openlng, a closure 'for sand opening, and

means for moving said closure comprlsing a plurality of independently operable cams, and means for holding said cam against bodily movement relatively to the closure. 14. In combination, a locomotive boiler.

having an opening, a closure for said opening and cam means for moving said closure towards and away from said boiler.

15. In combination, a locomotive boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening and plvoted means for moving said closure towards and away from said boiler. 16. In combination, a locomotive boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening and lever means for moving said closure towards and away from said boiler.

17. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a boiler having an opening, a closure for said opening,

means for moving said closure towards and away from said opening, including cam means for applying pressure thereto independently at spaced apart points.

18. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a boiler having anopening, a closure for said openin and means for'moving said closure towar s and away from the opening comprising a plurality of independently operable levers.

In testimony whereof Iv have hereunto signed my name in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses. I

Witness JANE CARPENTER. 

